US Sets New Record for STDs

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control released a report showing that sexually transmitted diseases have been on the rise in recent years in the United States. In 2017 nearly 2.3 million cases of STDs were reported. That is an increase of over 200,000 cases more than the record number reported in 2016.

When you look at the break down you can see that everything has gone up. It isn't just one specific STD that has increased. Gonorrhea had a 67% increase since 2013. Syphilis had a 76% increase. Chlamydia had more than 1.7 million cases making it the most common STD reported.

As they should be, officials at the CDC are concerned about the increasing number of reported STDs as well as the growing number of untreatable cases. For example, gonorrhea has been shown to be resistant to all antibiotics except for one, ceftriaxone. The possibility of ceftriaxone no longer working against gonorrhea is a major concern.

Prevention is key. Click on the link below to learn more about the prevention methods recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.